He smokes cigars, drinks coffee, whiskey, and even Dr. Pepper — and he just turned 112 years old.
Richard Overton, America’s oldest World War II veteran, as well as the oldest man in America, turned 112 years old on Friday, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Born in Austin, Texas, in 1906, Overton is an Army veteran who served in the South Pacific from 1940-1945, including Guam and Iwo Jima, according to USA Today.
After his discharge, he sold furniture in Austin, and later worked in the state Treasurer’s Office.
“I feel fine every day,” Overton said on Thursday, according to the KSN, the local NBC affiliate. “No pain and no aches.”
Every day, he smokes 12 Tampa Sweet cigars, drinks multiple cups of coffee and Dr. Pepper, the Dallas Morning News reported. He also eats waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, ice cream, peach cobbler, and other sweet foods.
He even drinks whiskey and coke.
“I may drink a little in the evening too with some soda water, but that’s it,” Overton previously told Fox News. “Whiskey’s a good medicine. It keeps your muscles tender.”
In 2017, Overton’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his in-home care, which has raised more than $234,000.
When comedian Steve Harvey asked Overton in 2012 how he has lived so long, Overton said: “Just keep living, don’t die.”
The oldest man in America will soon celebrate his 112th birthday. Richard Overton spends his days smoking cigars, eating sweets and waving at honking cars from his porch. https://t.co/sCzwPClMzD pic.twitter.com/xbKk6ymegB
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) May 10, 2018
Thanks, Angel. I had heard that smoking and drinking were common indulgences for many centenarians. Quite interesting. Another common trait was that they showed what was on their mind and didn’t internalize feelings or ideas. Ha!! That could be a good thing for free speech!! Some holistic doctors give this point a lot of credibility and say that to internalize is to keep tension in your body. Oh well, I guess everything has a time and place. I myself have the opposite issue, almost never internalize. I hope I become a centenarian. Gotta be around to beat the bad guys.
And then again… There’s also the Jack London perspective:
“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”
ps: Myself… I’m very happy when I at least get the laundry done.
🙂
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“He smokes cigars, drinks coffee, whiskey, and even Dr. Pepper…”
DAMN!!!
If the Dr. Pepper didn’t kill him, nothing will.
“….America’s oldest living WWII veteran just turned 112 — and he smokes 12 cigars a day…..”
And the tobacco companies searched for a man like this for years, just so they could have this published.